Modi criticises Centre for ''non-clearance'' of apparel park

By Staff
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Google Oneindia News

Ahmedabad, Feb 20 (UNI) Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi came down heavily on the Central government for its ''lukewarm attitude'' in giving final clearance to an apparel park project in the city.

Speaking at a centenary celebration function organised by the Maskati Kapad Market Mahajan here last evening, he said many textile mills in Ahmedabad are on the verge of closure, which could render about 80,000 people jobless. To counter this trend, the state has initiated steps to construct an apparel park, which will generate employment to more than 1.5 lakh people. But the state is still awaiting the Centre's nod for the last six months.

Calling on the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) to prepare a research paper on Maskati Kapad Market Mahajan's 100 years history, he said the organisation, established in 1906 during the British rule in the country, has many credits in the textile field.

The Chief Minister said Gujarat, once a trading state, has become a manufacturing hub in various fields and stood first among other Indian states.

He said fifty years ago, Gujarat set up a Pharmacy college and the ultimate result today is that state has been the major producer in drugs.

He asserted that Gujarat was riding high on the development front. In the recent 'Vibrant Gujarat Global Investors Summit 2007', the investors reposed their confidence in Gujarat and they have signed memoranda of understanding (MoUs) worth over Rs 4.6 lakh crore and last week the state received investment of over Rs two lakh crore for urban development projects.

Gujarat's growth rate once touched an all-time low at 2.5 per cent when state was shattered by disastrous earthquake in 2001.

However, the state has succeeded in its growth during the past five years and surpassed ten per cent, he reiterated.

He said the Planning Commission has set a target of 11.2 per cent growth rate for the state domestic product in the next five years in order to maintain national growth at nine per cent.

The Chief Minister sought public support for a cleanliness drive the 'Nirmal Gujarat Programme', initiated by his government, in all major cities of the state.

Mr Modi proudly announced that not a single BT cotton-growing farmer in the state had committed suicide despite failure in yield as compared to other cotton-producing states like Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra, where large number of farmers took the extreme step.

UNI

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